Journaling might not first bring to mind environmental sustainability, but they are more connected than you think. 

Maintaining good mental health is an essential part of activism and caretaking, whether you are involved in climate justice organizing, stewarding the land, or caring for a loved one. Before caring for others, the earth, and the well-being of future generations and ecosystems, we must care for ourselves. Journaling is one of the best ways to do this, as it entails expressive writing, a therapeutic process of making sense of thoughts and feelings on paper. Expressive writing can lower stress and level out strong emotions, as well as increase optimism. Also, writing down negative thoughts and experiences can help us process them and rationalize them, freeing up mental space and energy for other pursuits. 

Studies have shown that regular reflective writing can lower distress and promote resilience in patients with anxiety, and others have suggested that it can even bring about physical health benefits such as immune health, as well as ability to cope with grief and trauma. Considering the often crushing sensation of grief we now experience on a daily basis in response to climate change and a host of worsening global tragedies, journaling could perhaps help us process this pain, allowing us to avoid growing numb to tragedy and instead funnel our emotions into productive action. 

Additionally, on a day-to-day level journaling allows us to heighten and make sense of our awareness of life and our surrounding environments, fostering deeper connection with not only the natural world around us but also with our local communities, encouraging us to build the stronger connections and passions that truly build social and environmental sustainability and justice from the roots up.

Lastly, the piece of dark chocolate you will find alongside your journaling supplies plays a role too. Cocoa is high in flavanols (the darker the chocolate, the more flavanols), which reduce blood pressure as well as help regulate mood and depression.

Information for this article was found in a Mindful blog post, as well as Psychology Today.